Giuseppe
Verdi, Un ballo
in maschera: soloists, orchestra and chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden/Sir
Charles Mackerras, conductor, Royal Opera House, 17.11.2005
(ED)
Co-production with Houston Grand
Opera Association and Fundacion
del Teatro-Lirico-Madrid.
Samuel: Robert Gleadow (bass)
*
Tom: Matthew Rose (bass)
Oscar: Patrizia Biccirč (soprano)
Riccardo: Richard Margison (tenor)
Renato: Dmitri
Hvorostovsky (baritone)
Giudice: Nikola
Matisic (tenor) *
Ulrica: Stephanie Blythe (mezzo-soprano)
Amelia: Nina Stemme (soprano)
Amelia's Servant: Neil Gillespie (tenor)
Silvano: Jared Holt (baritone)
*Jette Parker Young Artist
Director: Mario Martone
Set Designs: Sergio Tramonti
Costume Designs: Bruno Schwengl
Lighting: Cesare Accetta
Political machinations, the love of a married woman,
revenge, the overthrow of power and some dabbling with
the devil – the plot would appear to have all the ingredients
for a truly great opera. Yet no Verdi opera suffered more
at the hands of censors during its composition than Un ballo in maschera.
This achieved two things:
to cause Verdi’s compositional focus to occasionally
waver (a fact that the big moments for all concerned including
chorus and orchestra cannot totally obscure) and to give
posterity a work that has suffered a varied stage life.
Martone and Tramonti’s
lavish production, making an early return to the Covent
Garden stage following its first outing last season, presents
the Boston version, as opposed to the Swedish version
that has seen resurgent popularity in recent years. Their
staging also highlights the slight weaknesses in the score
– particularly in the Act I scenes, taking their cue from
Verdi they slip into formulaic massed chorus scene endings
complete with hat-doffing and over animated gesturing.
Tramonti’s elaborate sets work more effectively in some places
than others: Ulrica’s cage-hovel
is effective in accommodating the massed chorus whilst
giving focus to the scene’s action. Act II, set around
a gallows outside the city walls provided ample atmosphere
but at the expense of easily allowing the action to flow
on as it should have straight in to Act III, so maintaining
dramatic momentum, instead of having it dissipated by
a lengthy interval. Act III’s
changes of scenes were effectively, if elaborately, handled
to provide an ingenious backdrop to the culminating action,
the assassination of Riccardo.
Musically, after a hesitant start the orchestra rose
to moments of drama with enthusiasm and fulsome tone.
Charles Mackerras’ instinct for tempi was well judged, and the ferocity
of attack he encouraged particularly from brass and timpani
at the start of Act I, scene 2 and at the drawing of lots
(Act III, scene 1) was truly hair-raising. His pacing
too of Ulrica and Amelia’s scenes
in particular showed a real dramatic sense at work, and
provided an effective contrast to the surface happiness
of the ball scene, when underhand business is afoot.
Richard Margison’s Riccardo was strongly voiced, if a little lacking in vocal
subtlety – though when he did shade down the tone was
pleasingly intimate. Dmitri Hvorostovsky made more of
Renato through facial gestures and glowering jealous looks
than movement, seeming oddly stiff at times. His voice
has appreciably hardened of late, losing some of its earlier
suppleness, and diction too was occasionally indistinct
under his uniformly tight tone.
Stephanie Blythe made the most of her scene as Ulrica, acting and singing the part fully to convey a sense
of wonder in the power of darker forces. Nina Stemme’s
Amelia was fully convincing and involved to chart the
path of a woman in love through both the highs and lows
that lead her to take desperate measures. Vocally she
grew in strength throughout the evening – the sense of
isolation and vulnerability felt in her rendition of “Ecco
l’orrido campo” added to by the relative fragility of her
voice earlier on. Alongside such vocally formidable partners
Patrizia Biccirč as the page Oscar
came across as being slightly out sung, although her singing
in itself was done with character and style, her acting
reinforced this to make the most of her opportunities.
Other roles, inevitably smaller, were cast from strength
– and it was good to hear two Jette
Parker Young Artists, and particularly Robert Gleadow.
Ultimately though the evening belonged to one man
– Sir Charles Mackerras. Spending
his eightieth birthday conducting the performance gave
the impression that this was for him, musically at least,
just another night and that music will keep flowing forth
from his baton. The celebratory spirit started with the
curtain call and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday
played and sung by orchestra, chorus, soloists and the
assembled audience. I’m sure by now the cake has all been
eaten, but here’s to many more, Sir Charles!
Evan Dickerson
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA PHOTOS © CATHERINE ASHMORE – NOVEMBER
2005